The cooking program at the Ephrata Public Library (EPL) teaches a critical life skill and important life lessons. But on a more symbolic level, the educational classes represent the Ephrata library's continuing growth as a community institution.

There was a time, seemingly not that long ago, when eating was forbidden in libraries or at least discouraged.

"Libraries are more than just four walls and the books that line them," said Helen Taylor, who's been EPL's program manager for five years. "Libraries have evolved. Now we deal more with programs. Libraries are not quiet or monotonous anymore. We're more of community hubs. It's hard to keep up with us. We're constantly innovating and changing."

EPL conducts five cooking programs for both children and adults - Story Snackers for preschoolers and their parents; I Can Cook, designed for elementary students ages 6 to 9 with a focus on nutrition and completing recipes; Teen Cuisine, which provides instruction on main dishes, the preparation of meats and the importance of food temperatures; Adult Cooking Class, which incorporates the assistance of outside restaurant experts for the preparation of sandwiches and salads; and Cookbook Club, whose members take recipes home, prepare dishes and then share them with class members.

In addition, EPL hosts cooking camps for students during the summer months. Periodically, EPL also sponsors Taco Tuesdays, cotton candy art and pancake art.

All classes related to the cooking programs are conducted in EPL's educational kitchen, located at 550 S. Reading Road, Ephrata.

"Cooking and working in the kitchen is something we all need," said Taylor. "We have a lot of students who want a snack when they get home from school. It's about independence and gaining confidence. It's also learning about recipes. A lot of these skills are going to be used for the rest of (students') lives. For some, it may be a career. It's also about self-esteem; for them, projects can be accomplishments. We're mixing in a lot of life lessons."

Most of EPL's cooking programs, which are free and open to the public, are conducted monthly, while some are held less often. The age-appropriate classes, which are limited to 10 to 12 participants because of space, focus on different dishes and separate aspects of working in a kitchen each time.

In 2025, EPL cooking program staged 36 classes and served 432 participants.

"I come into classes as an observer and watch the start of classes," said Taylor. "My favorite thing is just seeing the joy that comes from all the students, just watching their interactions and seeing how happy their accomplishments make them. There's joy being spread and there's determination, and you can see that in all ages; that's what makes me happy. We're teaching, we're directing, but we're also spreading joy."

From time to time, EPL's cooking program incorporates the use of its Charlie Cart Mobile Kitchen to take its educational classes out into the community. Purchased with funds from a grant, the Charlie Cart is a kitchen on wheels, equipped with a power source, a sink, appliances, utensils, bowls, plates and knives.

"Cooking also promotes basic literacy because you're reading recipes," said Taylor. "It's also basic-level STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). It's civic and social literacy because you need teamwork. You could say it's financial literacy because we look at costs involved with making dishes. We incorporate all of these literacies, which are all so important. Cooking is fun and we love to eat, but there are so many other skills involved with it."

EPL conducts a number of programs for adults and children in addition to its cooking classes, including game nights, camps, clubs and special events. Between January and November of 2025, EPL hosted 721 live in-house programs and welcomed 8,248 visitors.

"Sometimes, people are surprised by the programs we offer," said Taylor. "Every day I surprise someone at the library, even our regulars, because we offer so much."

EPL is open Mondays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For additional information, go to http://www.ephratapubliclibrary.org.